Can't Get Cat to Change To Dry Food - HELP!

I have a 5 yr old female whom I’ve had since she was a kitten. She has always eaten Friskies Pate canned food which was recommended to me at the time I got her. She needs to be changed to a different food however. She has lately been having problems with constipation and our vet wants her on a dry food with more fiber. She is also putting on too much weight which also requires a change in her diet (and cut back of her canned food) as well.

The problem is that she is the FUSSIEST cat I have ever been around. She simply won’t eat any kind of dry food I feed her. I am on the fourth different kind of high quality brand dry food I can find and she hasn't had anything to do with any of them. Right now, I am trying Hill’s Science Diet Interior Chicken Recipe for Adults 1-6. She simply won’t have anything to do with it. I have tried the “transition” techniques Hills recommended, i.e. mixing a small amount of the kibble with some of her Friskies pate. She simply picked the kibble out of the food and ate only her old Friskies.

I also tried taking some small pieces of baked chicken breast (which she normally goes absolutely mad for) and mixed those with just a very small amount of kibble and again, she wouldn’t touch it. She wouldn’t even try to get the baked chicken pieces out of it. I also tried the baked chicken pieces again but mixing some warm water in with the kibble to soften the kibble and make kind of a chicken “stew”. Again, she would have no part of it.

The same thing happened with the last brand I tried, which was a Purina top of the line, all natural grain free dry food. There was NO way she would have anything to do with the kibble even with her favorite foods mixed in. She has always seemed prepared to starve before she was willing to touch any of the newer food.

Now, there is another part of this problem. She has NEVER been willing to drink water either. The only water she has been getting is from her Friskies canned food, which has high water content and so far has been adequate but not great. Since she is going to have to have her canned food cut way down because of her weight, that means she is going to have to start drinking water on her own. This will be particularly true if I am finally successful somehow in getting her to start eating dry food.

I’ve gotten her a water bubbler in the past since she wouldn’t drink from a dish of water but she wouldn’t touch it. I have also now gotten her a Drinkwell large circular fountain, a really nice fountain and again, she still ignores it. She will play with a small stream of water from a faucet and sometimes will stick her paw in the water and lick the water off her paw, but I can’t get her to drink water from her fountain at all.

I had none of these kinds of problems with my previous cat. She was very laid back, would eat anything I put in front of her and drank water regularly. Does anyone have any suggestions about what I can do to get this one to eat different (i.e. dry) food and start drinking water? For her own health, she simply cannot continue along this same path but so far, I have been completely helpless to get her to change. It’s becoming quite maddening.

I've actually had better luck with weight management using canned or raw food alone. Dry food isn't really appropriate for cats plus it has a lot more calories than canned or raw.

:nod: ..... I wish I had a cat who wouldn't eat dry food! LOL. ..... :nod:
What a nice problem to have!


It's my experience that dry food will actually NOT help with a weight problem, but could increase her weight problem, among other things.

Have you considered just switching to another canned food? Many grain-free canned foods do have more fiber than some others (if that was your vet's advice... to add fiber). Or you could just keep her on her Friskies food, but give her less calories daily, and give her some insoluble fiber to help with the constipation.

IndyJones said:

I've actually had better luck with weight management using canned or raw food alone. Dry food isn't really appropriate for cats plus it has a lot more calories than canned or raw.

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Thanks for the response. Our vet says she needs to be eating both dry and canned foods (and he's an excellent vet, one of the best in our state) and also that she needs to start drinking water without just getting it from her food.

Start by trying to mix the dry food with the wet food. After that move on to wet dry food. After that try giveing them normal dry food and see what happens. I know it sounds a bit silly but I think it might work[emoji]128522[/emoji]

I personally wouldn't go for dry food. This is because 1) in the wild they would never eat dry prey unless they absolutely had to. 2) If they eat more dry food than wet food there fur will stop being shiny and will be more prone to becoming ragged and scruffy. 3) Many dry foods contain artificial coulerants and flavouants that can damage your cats health.

Thanks for the response. Our vet says she needs to be eating both dry and canned foods (and he's an excellent vet, one of the best in our state) and also that she needs to start drinking water without just getting it from her food.

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Does your vet know that cats biologically have a low thirst drive and get the majority of their water intake from food, so they naturally don't have a drive to drink much water? That's the entire reason behind feeding a mostly (or ideally all) wet or raw food diet, beyond the fact kibble has inappropriate ingredients in it. 

Given all the factors here--that this cat is prone to gaining weight, hates dry food, and won't drink water--I would be very hesitant to take her off the Friskies pates, which are pretty decent food! Beyond that, I agree with the posters here who have said that dry food is far less appropriate for cats than wet food. Basically, your cat is just doing what comes naturally: eating meaty wet food instead of filler-loaded dry food and not going for the water bowl. That's pretty normal. Our cats, who eat only wet food, are the same way.

Personally, I would look into other options for easing the constipation. Have you tried pumpkin? I've never used it so have no idea how much to add to food but I know that lots of people swear by it for making cats more regular. (It seems to work for both constipation and diarrhea... some food with pumpkin did seem once to help one of our cats get over an odd problem with diarrhea...) You would need plain pumpkin only (not pie filling!)--Weruva even sells little packets of it. @missmimz, do you have experience with pumpkin?

Tumbleweed01 said:

IndyJones said:

I've actually had better luck with weight management using canned or raw food alone. Dry food isn't really appropriate for cats plus it has a lot more calories than canned or raw.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the response. Our vet says she needs to be eating both dry and canned foods (and he's an excellent vet, one of the best in our state) and also that she needs to start drinking water without just getting it from her food.

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I'm not certain the vet is right here. Maybe he thinks she eats her wet food too fast because she doesn't graze through the day.

Why not try adding water to the Friskies pate? You need to mix it, but it will still mostly be pate and the flavors she likes.

If extra water suits her, you could try a small amount of Miralax -- mix it in the water, then add it to her food. This is a non-fiber product that should make her stools softer.

For weight loss, you just need to feed her a little less total during the day. Friskies stores easily in the fridge with a can cover. Mixing a little water in will help her feel "fuller".

You might want to try more "smaller" meals during the day. That could even out her hunger cycles.

LisaHE said:

 
Given all the factors here--that this cat is prone to gaining weight, hates dry food, and won't drink water--I would be very hesitant to take her off the Friskies pates, which are pretty decent food! Beyond that, I agree with the posters here who have said that dry food is far less appropriate for cats than wet food. Basically, your cat is just doing what comes naturally: eating meaty wet food instead of filler-loaded dry food and not going for the water bowl. That's pretty normal. Our cats, who eat only wet food, are the same way.

Personally, I would look into other options for easing the constipation. Have you tried pumpkin? I've never used it so have no idea how much to add to food but I know that lots of people swear by it for making cats more regular. (It seems to work for both constipation and diarrhea... some food with pumpkin did seem once to help one of our cats get over an odd problem with diarrhea...) You would need plain pumpkin only (not pie filling!)--Weruva even sells little packets of it. @missmimz, do you have experience with pumpkin?

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I don't really like the use of pumpkin for constipation. Dry food def is not the answer for more fiber. The answer is switching to higher quality wet food, maybe one is a slightly higher fat content (although I don't know the fat ratio in friskies) as adding fat usually helps with constipation. The other option would be to use a little bit of miralax, but short term only. I really think OP needs a new vet, one that knows more about cat nutrition. 

I agree with others about leaving her on the canned food.  Your vet probably is exceptional, but veterinarians usually only get one class in cat nutrition, often an optional class, which is taught to them by an employee of the scientific diet food company. 

Add pumpkin, or psyllium husk, or a bit of laxative to the canned food.  If she is getting fat, cut her food back by about 10% for a month.  If she is still gaining, cut 10% every month until you find the amount of food she needs to get her down to a healthy weight.

5 years Only eating Friskies that's a nice life!   

Mix the Friskies with another brand of moist gradually introducing to healthier brands. 

Try mixing moist food with kibbles as Junifern mentioned,

-soaked in warm water first try a 'holistic' kibble.

For liquids instead of water your own chicken broth or Campbell's low sodium diluted with water.

Not forever just short term If you free feed Stop for a while...cats always eat better after building up an appetite

laser pointer work outs throughout the day try before scheduled meals.

Cats need both dry and moist foods.

PushPurrCatPaws said:

:nod: ..... I wish I had a cat who wouldn't eat dry food! LOL. ..... :nod:
What a nice problem to have!


It's my experience that dry food will actually NOT help with a weight problem, but could increase her weight problem, among other things.

Have you considered just switching to another canned food? Many grain-free canned foods do have more fiber than some others (if that was your vet's advice... to add fiber). Or you could just keep her on her Friskies food, but give her less calories daily, and give her some insoluble fiber to help with the constipation.

Click to expand...

LisaHE said:

Given all the factors here--that this cat is prone to gaining weight, hates dry food, and won't drink water--I would be very hesitant to take her off the Friskies pates, which are pretty decent food! Beyond that, I agree with the posters here who have said that dry food is far less appropriate for cats than wet food. Basically, your cat is just doing what comes naturally: eating meaty wet food instead of filler-loaded dry food and not going for the water bowl. That's pretty normal. Our cats, who eat only wet food, are the same way.

Personally, I would look into other options for easing the constipation. Have you tried pumpkin? I've never used it so have no idea how much to add to food but I know that lots of people swear by it for making cats more regular. (It seems to work for both constipation and diarrhea... some food with pumpkin did seem once to help one of our cats get over an odd problem with diarrhea...) You would need plain pumpkin only (not pie filling!)--Weruva even sells little packets of it. @missmimz
, do you have experience with pumpkin?

Click to expand...

missmimz said:

I don't really like the use of pumpkin for constipation. Dry food def is not the answer for more fiber. The answer is switching to higher quality wet food, maybe one is a slightly higher fat content (although I don't know the fat ratio in friskies) as adding fat usually helps with constipation. The other option would be to use a little bit of miralax, but short term only. I really think OP needs a new vet, one that knows more about cat nutrition. 

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It's been my experience that pumpkin, which is a soluble fiber, is much better suited to the issue of diarrhea.... while insoluble fibers are better for helping with constipation.

Thanks for all of the responses. I did find a can of 100% natural solid pack pumpkin (not a pie filling) in the pantry which sounds like what you are describing. It is pretty old though so I don't want to give it to her. I'll just get a new can next time at the store and try a little of that.

I agree with others here about feeding wet food to help with her constipation and weight control. When my cats get fat--I cut back on their dry food rather than the wet.  They only get 2 tablespoons of dry food a day.  When I travel they get more dry food as the cat sitter only visits once a day.  They usually get fat when I'm on a long trip (1-2 weeks).

My cats do not drink water--they get all their water from food. I add water to their canned food.  I use a 1:1 ratio--so if they get 2 tablespoons of canned food, they also get two tablespoons of water mixed in.  I keep Friskies on hand when I need something they will eat without any fuss.  They love Wellness but they do get fussy with other grain free canned food. Adding in Friskies seems to smooth things out.

tdonline said:

I agree with others here about feeding wet food to help with her constipation and weight control. When my cats get fat--I cut back on their dry food rather than the wet.  They only get 2 tablespoons of dry food a day.  When I travel they get more dry food as the cat sitter only visits once a day.  They usually get fat when I'm on a long trip (1-2 weeks).





My cats do not drink water--they get all their water from food. I add water to their canned food.  I use a 1:1 ratio--so if they get 2 tablespoons of canned food, they also get two tablespoons of water mixed in.  I keep Friskies on hand when I need something they will eat without any fuss.  They love Wellness but they do get fussy with other grain free canned food. Adding in Friskies seems to smooth things out.

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Thanks for all of the helpful replies. In case anyone is interested, I called my vet and it turns out that I had misunderstood what he had said. He explained that the wet food is best for her main diet (the Friskies). He said that it was 75% water which should be adequate for her but if I have to leave her alone for a day or two on occasion (and can't get a pet sitter), she should have some dry food available (and standalone water too). He also told me to try adding some plain pumpkin (as others here have also suggested) to her diet to help with the constipation. So, I'll be keeping her on the Friskies for the foreseeable future (unless I find a higher quality canned food in the meantime that I can afford).

Also, she'll be going in for her checkup in a few weeks so she will be able to get a good, thorough checkup at that time.

If you're looking for some wet food brands with better quality ingredients but still affordable, I'd recommend trying Sheba and/or Fancy Feast. the only downside is that they don't make the cans bigger than 3 oz so it may be slightly more expensive than Friskies per ounce.  But its generally recommended to keep a rotation of brands and proteins going for your cat in the event that suddenly one becomes unavailable or recalled, and it can help prevent from developing allergies when you give variety.

@Tumbleweed01, that's great to hear about your vet's recommendation, phew! Let us know how the pumpkin goes. Also, what is your cat's name?

I also like @destinyz12's idea of trying some other foods: rotations are great for all the reasons that post mentions. If your cat is picky about wet foods (you've only mentioned that she's picky about dry...) you might try Nutro Natural Choice: a lot of picky cats seem to really like those. It's definitely more expensive than Friskies but it's good food -- low carb, which is good for dieting cats -- and might be nice, if only as an occasional treat. The chunky chicken seems to be especially popular. (We had to cut back on the Nutro because one of our piglet cat gulped it down so fast she would barf it back up!)

Since you already have a fountain, I would suggest that you try putting purified ( reverse osmosis works well and is at most grocery stores for very cheap from their machine) in yoru fountain to see if that helps.   i'm also glad to hear that your cat will be having mostly canned food.  While I'm not one who believes that "the worst caned food is better than the best dry food", I do think that your cat sounds like one who would be better served with canned food when possible.

on a side note, Hills dry is pretty awful food, both in terms of nutrition (it is corn based), and also flavor ( I've never heard of a cat who liked it).   A decent grain free is probably better as a free fed suppliment, and will taste better.

My vet told me NO dry food either, said it was too many carbs.
I think you might be able to give her Mirilax
Cats are supposed to have MEAT

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